Interest in nanotechnology, in particular sub-microelectronic technologies such as semiconductor quantum dots and nanowires, has been motivated by the challenges of chemistry and physics at the nanoscale, and by the prospect of utilizing these structures in electronic and related devices. Nanoscopic articles might be well-suited for transport of charge carriers and excitons (e.g. electrons, electron pairs, etc.) and thus may be useful as building blocks in nanoscale electronics applications. Nanowires are well-suited for efficient transport of charge carriers and excitons, and thus are expected to be important building blocks for nanoscale electronics and optoelectronics.
Nanoscale wires having selectively functionalized surfaces have been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/020,004, entitled “Nanosensors,” filed Dec. 11, 2001, published as Publication No. 2002/0117659 on Aug. 29, 2002, and as corresponding International Patent Application Serial No. PCT/US01/48230, filed Dec. 11, 2001, published as International Patent Application Publication WO 02/48701 on Jun. 20, 2002 (each incorporated herein by reference). Nanoscale wire sensors have also been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/501,466, entitled “Nanoscale Sensors,” filed Aug. 9, 2006, also incorporated herein by reference. As described, functionalization of the nanoscale wire may permit interaction of the functionalized nanoscale wire with various entities, such as molecular entities, and the interaction induces a change in a property of the functionalized nanowire, which provides a mechanism for a nanoscale sensor device for detecting the presence or absence of an analyte suspected to be present in a sample.